Japanese Vocabulary Essentials

The Japanese language can be a very difficult language to master for westerners. With this level of difficulty in consideration, your Japanese host will not expect you to be a fluent speaker of the Japanese langauge. However, there are some basic Japanese vocabulary essentials that you should know. Below are just a few of them. It also makes sense to pick up a simple book or electronic translator to help you learn a bit more. The more you know, the better off you are.

Hello: “Konínichiwa”.

Good bye: “Sayonara”.

Thank You: “Arigato”.

Bathroom: “Basurumu”.

Restaurant: “Resutoran”.

Business card: “Meishi”.

The word for making a toast during dinner is “Kampai”.

The way to explain that you are happy with dinner is “Gochisou-sama-deshita”.